I haven’t had a meal like this in a long time. I know it may seem like I say that a lot, but truly without exaggeration, this meal was one of the best I’ve had in over year – and that’s including my meal last week at Statebird Provisions, one of the highest rated restaurants in America.

Kokkari is warmly decorated, with dim lighting, a spit with the meat of the day roasting in a large open fire, and numerous large loaves of freshly baked bread waiting to be sliced.

Maybe it’s because restaurant atmospheres are a big deal to me, but I could already tell my meal here was going to be good just by the décor alone. Our friendly waiter came by and offered us menu assistance and lots of good advice. Our table of 6 ordered zucchini cake appetizers, stuffed calamari, and Greek salads to start. The zucchini cakes were warm and tasty – beautifully complemented by the tzatziki, which was thick and no doubt made-in-house. The calamari was grilled, and stuffed with feta, fennel, orange and black olives. Never had I tasted calamari like this before – tender & lemony – and it was an immediate hit for the entire table. (Don’t forget their bread to mop up both the tzatziki and calamari sauce!). Lastly, the Greek salad was fresh, with tons of feta chunks to share. So far I think it is fair to say that we were off to a good start.

As for the mains: I had been told that their lamb chops were the best in the city. And what I received did not disappoint me. Possibly the best lamb I’ve tasted in my life (and my mom makes a mean chop), the meat was cooked perfectly, and the spices on the chops worked together to create the most exquisite mouthful possible. Accompanied with ‘Kokkari potatoes’ the salty, dense potato was a great side. I shared the lamb chops with the special of the day – a type of lamb stew that came with porcini, orzo, and veggies. Although quite tasty, and the supposed favorite of many waiters, the stew seemed to pale in comparison to the chops. Although it did make a great leftover dish.*

A close second to the chops was a whole fish – line caught that very day just a few miles away from the restaurant itself. The whole fish was served grilled, simply with lemon, sea salt, and olive oil. Although still second to the chops in my opinion, the fish was excellent quality and well worth a sample. As one of my last meals in SF (before I head to the Big Apple), Kokkari almost made me rethink my move and I can only say it will be one of my first stops when I visit SF again. Opa!!!

(P.S. the dessert pictured is the Galaktoboureko, and obviously, it was fantastic. Custard and filo…what’s not to like. Happy Graduation to me!).

*As told by our waiter, the stew is meant to be reheated in the over with 2 eggs, and day-old-bread to dip as a breakfast of champions. Boom.

5/5 stars.